The Students’ Organisation of India (SOI)-led Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) 2015, which was elected to power this year with a huge margin, has been laying low for the past few weeks.

Promises made to the students have been forgotten, as not much has been done yet to address the issues of the students at the university.

About two weeks ago, members of the Students’ Council had arranged for a trip to Vaishno Devi for the students. Since then, the concerns of the students have taken a back seat.

Members of Panjab University Campus Students’ Council had promised to organise for a drive, Council At Your Doorstep, in the Panjab University hostels to ensure that the needs of the students do not go unheard. However, so far, the drive has not yet been initiated by the students’ council.

Panjab University Campus Students’ Council president Jasmeen Kang said, “There has been some delay in the initiation of the drive in the hostels. But we have sought permission for the same from the Dean Students’ Welfare already. However, for now, we are working on installing washing machines in all the hostels. Plan for introducing a shuttle-bus service between the two campuses is also underway.”

On being elected to power in August, the members of the students’ council had promised to dedicate themselves to the cause of the students’ welfare.
Promises were made to improve the placements in the campus along with ensuring sufficient hostel seats for the students. The winning student organisations (SOI, HIMSU, INSO and NSO) had also promised to pay special attention to the needs of the first-year students at the university.

Further, during Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s visit to the university campus in September, the students of the university were also promised of a world class gymnasium and setting up of solar heaters at the hostels.

Reforms for ensuring safety of women on the university campus were also suggested and the research scholars of the varsity were promised of faster ways to avail their allotted grants.

The students of the university believe that each year, the PUCSC makes promises that are almost never fulfilled.

Urvashi, a PU student, said, “There is nothing new about this. Each year, the elected council makes promises during the election campaigning. On being elected to power, the promises just lay forgotten. I don’t think this year’s elected council has gone beyond organising trips for the students so far.”

Jasmeen Kang added, “There has been some delay owing to various factors. The swearing-in ceremony also took place late this year, which resulted in stalling of a lot of work that we intended to do for the students. Our council, however, has pledged to change this idea that PUCSC does not work for the university students. We still are very much dedicated to the cause of the students’ welfare. The problems of the students will all be addressed.”